HANOI TIMES — Hanoi welcomed the cooperation offer from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Cintana Alliance - a global network of innovative universities, said the city's Vice Chairman Truong Viet Dung during a meeting with the alliance’s delegation on September 18.

The delegation from ASU and Cintana Education, led by Chris Hill, Cintana’s Chief Strategy Officer and Regional CEO for APAC and Western Europe, came to Hanoi to seek further cooperation.

Emphasizing the importance of American education in the global academic landscape, the Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee welcomed the visit and reaffirmed the strong potential for cooperation between Hanoi and the ASU - Cintana Alliance.

He briefed the guest about Hanoi’s development goals, noting that the city targets GRDP growth of 8% and higher, a stronger private sector and advances in science and technology for the benefit of citizens and businesses.

“Science, technology and innovation are Hanoi's core driving forces to achieve these goals," said Dung.

As a notable example, the CT Innovation Hub 4.0 - Vietnam’s first, is expected to inaugurate in Hanoi this October, the vice chairman noted. 

The city is also pursuing a “three-pillar” education model linking the state, schools and businesses to develop human resources for the semiconductor industry - a key sector for future innovation.

Hanoi is also the first locality in Vietnam to initiate a venture capital fund, with an initial city budget of VND2 trillion - VND2.5 trillion (US$80 -100 million), to foster science, technology and the startup ecosystem.

“In this context, partnerships with educational institutions like ASU and Cintana Education will help concretize Hanoi’s innovation-driven development,” Dung added.

He pledged that the city is willing to create favorable conditions for international partners.

Impressed by Hanoi’s ambitions, CEO Chris Hill stressed the alliance's aims to boost collaboration with Hanoi city in education and innovation. 

The business executive reaffirmed the trip’s goal, saying it aims to help Vietnam become a regional hub for innovation, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

“These areas are perfectly aligned with the joint cooperation goals of both sides,” he said.

During the meeting, experts from the ASU - Cintana Alliance and Hanoi authorities exchanged ideas and explored specific cooperation plans for the near future.

Founded in 2019, Cintana Education is a global alliance of developing and innovative universities.

Working closely with Arizona State University, it established the ASU - Cintana Alliance, an international network of universities in the United States and beyond, designed to build ecosystems and resources to empower students across multiple disciplines.